More Than We Can Tell

Letters to the Lost #2

by Brigid Kemmerer

Rev Fletcher is battling the demons of his past. But with loving adoptive parents by his side, he’s managed to keep them at bay...until he gets a letter from his abusive father and the trauma of his childhood comes hurtling back.

Emma Blue spends her time perfecting the computer game she built from scratch, rather than facing her parents’ crumbling marriage. She can solve any problem with the right code, but when an online troll’s harassment escalates, she’s truly afraid.

When Rev and Emma meet, they both long to lift the burden of their secrets and bond instantly over their shared turmoil. But when their situations turn dangerous, their trust in each other will be tested in ways they never expected. This must-read story will once again have readers falling for Brigid Kemmerer’s emotional storytelling.

*While this book exists in the same universe as Letters to the Lost, it is a standalone title.*

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Young Adult Contemporary, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Mental Health

410 pages, Hardcover

First published March 6, 2018

About the author

Brigid Kemmerer is the New York Times bestselling author of dark and alluring romantic fantasy like Warrior Princess Assassin, A Curse So Dark and Lonely, and Defy the Night, and compelling contemporary romance like Letters to the Lost. Her books have sold over one million copies and been translated into more than 20 languages, finding readers all over the world. A full time writer, Brigid lives in the Baltimore area with her family.

Reviews

[Warda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third reread!
This duo of books is definitely up there as some of my favourite YA contemporaries and favourite books. I need Brigid Kemmerer to get back to writing some more contemporary stories.

As much as it isn’t a pleasant story to read, it made me feel warm inside.

The content is heavy. But there are some really heartwarming moments sprinkled in between that allows you to get through it.

Abuse is never really great to read about, but it’s especially difficult when a child goes through it at the hand of a parent and Rev has gone through what no one should have to go through.

Emma isn’t the most likeable heroine. She’s prickly, angry, the testament of ‘hurt people hurt people’ applies to her quite aptly. She’s a teenager, going through a lot, does not have a stable home life, is already facing sexism from a young age and is being cyber bullied.

Rev’s parents stood out to me even more upon this reread. He was extremely fortunate to have been adopted into a loving home but the traces of abuse still linger in him years later.

Supportive friends also made a world of difference in their lives.

I just loved this and I’m so glad it stayed that way with each reread.

———————————————


Reread!! I loved it even more!

———————————————

So good, I wanted more! I didn’t want it to end! 😭😭
Add this to your TBR. You can thank me later.

As for the review, let me start off by mentioning some trigger warnings. This book speaks quite heavily on psychical and psychological abuse.

I honestly appreciated every single page, every single word Kemmerer wrote. I loved this book for what it is and what it stood for. Going in, I knew it would be emotional and as soon as I read that first chapter, I had a good feeling that I was going to fall in love, and my instinct proved me right. And then some.

I don’t want to say too much about the story. It’s best going into this knowing as little as possible. But it’s a tale about growth, religion, love whether it is familial or otherwise, friendship, the cycle of abuse breeding abuse and learning to overcome certain traumas in your life.

The writing did a phenomenal job at making me empathise with the characters. It’s incredible when a story pulls you in so deep to the point that if the characters are hurting, you begin to hurt. Their pain becomes your pain and their struggle becomes your struggle and it makes me think about how powerful reading is in creating empathy within a reader. I felt that connected to the characters and I was so in love.

I do recommend reading ‘Letters to the Lost’ before this since we get introduced to Rev in that book, but it can be read as a standalone.
But whatever you do, I hope you pick it up and fall as hard as I did.

[zuza_zaksiazkowane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Charlotte May · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️

Ok, so I didn’t love this as much as Letters to the Lost but it was still as great read!

We met Rev in the first book, he is Declan’s best friend and he has a tough history he is dealing with. When he receives contact from his biological father Rev panics - suddenly he is the 7 year old boy terrified of his father all over again.

Emma is a gamer, she spends all her time working on a game she created - she wants to be just like her dad when she’s older. But when she starts getting harassed online by a troll, she tries brushing it off. This is just what girls in gaming have to deal with right? But soon things for Emma go from bad to worse. I didn’t really like Emma at first, I thought she was often petty and immature- especially when dealing with her mum. But I guess I have to remember she’s only like 16. I’m pretty certain I was rude to my parents at 16 unjustifiably.

Rev and Emma meet by accident around the side of a church, and begin talking and opening up to one another. I loved how organic their relationship was, I loved that it wasn’t straight forward, I loved that Rev was allowed to have his faith - that he didn’t drop it for a girl and that he isn’t judged for it.

The only thing I’d have liked clarified is The kid who was trolling Emma, was it the same guy who then ‘helped her out’ - aka Ethan. Do we think he did it just so he could claim he’d gotten rid of the guy for her?

Anyway an enjoyable, heartfelt read.

***********


Letters to the Lost nearly broke me. Now I’m ready for even more feels!!

[jessica yeung · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘letters to the lost’ was one of my favourite books of 2017, so you can imagine how hyped i was for this. and i had no doubt it would meet my expectations and more. kemmerer has such a unique way of bringing characters to life. although they do tend to have tragic and emotional backgrounds, it just makes reading about their growth all the more relatable and realistic. i really enjoyed this and im keeping my fingers crossed that there will be a book #3!

4.5 stars

[s · Rating 5 out of 5]

three words: REV FUCKIGN FLETCHER

sorry can't see anything through these tears, goodbye and goodnight, I'll just lie down here and cry until I die.

Buddy read with the first cycle

[Tan Markovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviews can be found at: www.booknerdtan.wordpress.com

5/5 stars.

Oh, my heart aches...

I picked up Letters to the Lost on a whim earlier this year and ended up falling in love with the story and all of the characters - it genuinely took me by surprise. One of my favourite characters, and I'm sure most people who have read Letters would agree, had to be Rev. His story was touched upon in Letters and I was so excited when I saw More Than We Can Tell was available on Netgalley and I was given a cop for review.

I honestly didn't expect this book to have as much of an impact on me as Letters did , but I feel as though I finished this book more of an emotional mess than the first one.

Rev's back story was heart breaking. With every story that we got told it made my heart ache even more for him and really showed what a great character he is. I really enjoyed Emma's character and how her relationship with her parents developed throughout the book as their family dynamic changed.

The relationship between Rev and Emma was so well executed - the way they helped each other with their problems was so sweet. Just the right amount of cute without it turning into YA cringe - the chemistry between the two of them was created so well.

One of the main reasons I loved Letters so much was because of the friendship between Declan and Rev and this book expanded on that so much more. Honestly, I probably dug this friendship more than the relationship between Rev and Emma OR Declan and Juliette. Matthew was a great edition to this book and it would be great to see if he ends up getting his own story.

If you read Letters, pick this book up immediately.

If you haven't read Letters, pick it up immediately and then this one immediately afterwards.

Love, love, love this book.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank them, the publisher Bloomsbury Children's and the author Brigid Kemmerer for this opportunity.

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This effing book!! I love Rev so much!!



Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Brigid]

I updated the summary/description to make it clear that while this book exists in the same universe as Letters to the Lost, it's a standalone title. You do not need to read Letters to the Lost to understand anything in this book. Letters was Declan and Juliet's story, and MTWCT is Rev and Emma's story. :-)

[Maditales · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the focus on real life problems in this book but I still think that she sometimes judges a bit too quickly.
I just wish the romance had been in here even less and more focus in the relationship building between parents as well as more of the opening up scenes

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

“We all push sometimes, just to make sure someone is on the other side, pushing back.”


Gosh, I adored this book. The hero, Rev, is such a wonderful and endearing character. It’s emotional, sweet, and sucked me in from the start.

Emma Blue is a high schooler, a gamer, and a creator. In fact, she created the game that she’s currently playing. She’s going through a tough time right now with her parents fighting all the time, and sometimes she just has to get away. When she takes her dog for a walk to get out of the house, she meets a guy in a hoodie who the dog is taken with right away. She sort of recognizes him from school, but she doesn’t know him.

Rev Fletcher had an awful childhood and is still carrying it around some. He was adopted by two amazing people when he was a kid, but his past still haunts him. Or his father, to be precise. Both Emma and Rev are going through some difficult things, and they find solace in one another. It’s a strange sort of friendship at first, but soon, it becomes a bit more.

I loved Rev so much. His character gets all the stars. Seriously, he was pretty perfect. Emma on the other hand, I have to remind myself that she is just a teenager and humans are imperfect because some of the choices she made had me shaking my head. Overall, I loved them as a couple. 

I listened to the audio book and couldn’t get enough. I enjoyed it so much. And after listening, I’m jumping straight into Declan’s (Rev’s best friend) book! I can’t wait to get more of his back story and I’m sure Rev will play a part in it as well!

[✨ A ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We all push sometimes, just to make sure someone is on the other side, pushing back.”

Rev is introduced in Letters to The Lost as Declan's best friend. I appreciate that he gets his own book and that we learn more about his story. Of course, his friendship with Declan remains a prominent feature, which I love because their friendship is so wholesome.

Emma was also an interesting character. The troll issue was really scary but a very real thing that women face on the internet. I sympathised with her but there were times that her reactions and actions frustrated me. I had to constantly remind myself that she is a 17 year old girl and being stubborn comes with the territory.

I enjoyed the conversations between Emma and Rev, and how they bonded over their secrets. Their interactions were really cute.

Matthew was a new fave! He added another layer to the story and I hope the author decides to write a book about him.

This book really messed me up and i am still in awe of Brigid Kemmerer and her ability to write such a flawless YA contemporary.

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would die for Rev Fletcher.

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 3 out of 5]

#1 Letters to the Lost ★★★★★
#2 More Than We Can Tell ★★★☆☆

After the absolute delight that was Letters to the Lost – and, even more, considering how much I adored Rev’s character in that book – I thought there was no way this book could be anything less than a home run for me. Unfortunately, I think I may have overestimated this one. I tried to write a standard review of this book, but honestly, there’s just not that much to say about it, so instead, I’ll give you a list of what I liked, and what I didn’t like.

That makes me smile. "I do what I can," I whisper.
"Shh," he says. "I'm texting with someone."
I grin and slide my fingers across the screen.

→ what I liked ←
• We get to spend a lot of time with Rev and learn more about his backstory, including some insight into his life as the child of an abusive pastor, and how religion and abuse have shaped him into who he is today.

• Emma offers fantastic insight into the life of a gamer girl, as well as the life of any female content creator in the gaming stratosphere, as we see her suffer harassment, unfair treatment, and unrealistic expectations – all of these fueled by the fact that she doesn’t hide her gender identity from the world.

• With Emma’s harassment comes a painfully realistic view of how men in the gaming community tend to treat women. A misstep isn’t even required from her to warrant lewd and horrific comments from the men playing the game she has created; her existence alone, her “intrusion” into the space these boys have called their own, is plenty to bring these attacks upon her.

• We also get some “nice guy” portrayals in a character who belligerently convinces himself that an act as simple as basic politeness to a woman means she somehow owes him her time, attention, and money.

• My favorite part of the book: we get to spend a bit of time with Declan as Rev seeks comfort and advice from him. In many books that I’ve read where characters had a cameo in a later story, it felt like the original characters had been changed to somehow fit this new “side character” mold, which is always really jarring, but Brigid Kemmerer doesn’t put Declan through that in the slightest; he’s still 100% who I knew and loved in Letters to the Lost.

I haven't seen him in ten years, and one little note has me craving his approval.

→ what I disliked ←
• Am I imagining things, or does Brigid Kemmerer refuse to write enjoyable female characters? In Letters, Juliet had a terrible attitude and lashed out constantly, but at least her behavior was usually almost justifiable; Emma, on the other hand, is absolutely horrible to everyone she meets! She spends the entire book casting petty shade at her “best friend”, verbally attacking Rev for no reason whatsoever, and throwing herself a massive pity party.

• The weird love triangle was so unwelcome; despite Rev giving her every reason to like him, Emma has an unhealthy fascination with this online stranger. I could understand if there was ever any actual growth between the two of them, but the bulk of their conversations are just Emma repeatedly whining about her parents while Ethan offers quips like “It could be worse!” and “At least it isn’t as bad as my parents!”

• Emma’s attitude towards her best friend constantly revolves around saying rude things about her friend’s YouTube beauty channel, and Emma belittles the struggles that come with that hobby/business ceaselessly, which is not only catty and some serious girl-on-girl hate, but it also re-enforces this “geek” vs. “hot girl” dichotomy crap.

• Despite a tremendous amount of build-up to Rev’s issues with his father, the ending felt really… bizarre? Lackluster? Anti-climactic?

• I never found myself rooting for Emma and Rev, at all. In fact, I spent most of the book just hoping Rev would run far, far away and find someone who actually respected and cared for him.

• There’s a male side character who gets picked on with homophobic remarks, but we learn that he isn’t gay; instead, he has suffered horrible sexual assault from multiple men in his life and is being taunted for it. Despite his trauma apparently being widely known at the high school he attends, no real time is spent on getting him the help that he needs or stopping the assailants from continuing to do this to other boys, and the whole thing just felt like this poor child’s rape was being used as a plot device.

• We get to see Juliet for, like, five seconds, and in that five seconds, she does something kind of rude and intrusive, so, you know… not a great bonding moment – again, it strikes me as odd that she’s so poorly written, considering how great Declan was and the substantial amount of time we get to spend with him in this book.

When people dismiss him as crazy, I know they don't understand. He wasn't crazy. He was... deliberate. Calculated.

→ final thoughts ←
As you can see, unfortunately, my dislikes were much more prominent than my likes in this one. I wanted so desperately to love this book that, when I reached the 30% mark or so and realized there was no way it was redeeming itself enough for 5 stars, I honestly considered DNFing it and saving myself some of the disappointment. I’m not saying 3 stars is a terrible rating – there were still things to enjoy about Rev and Emma’s story, for sure! – but when I compare it to Letters, it just feels like a totally different author wrote this book.

All quotes are from an unfinished ARC and may not match the final release. Thank you to Bloomsbury Children’s for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook!

[♛ may · Rating 4 out of 5]

my only outstanding personality trait is my love rev fletcher

RTC
4.5 stars!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the first book was literally my everything so IM SO EXCITED FOR THIS ONE FT. MY BABY REV

Buddy read with meme monster

[Patricia Bejarano Martín · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pensaba que Letters to the lost era INSUPERABLE y es que esta segunda parte me iba a gustar algo menos, pero es que NADA QUE VER. Este libro ha superado mis expectativas y se mete de lleno en uno de mis libros favoritos de la vida.
Aquí los protagonistas no son los mismos que en el anterior libro, pero Declan y Juliet siguen saliendo en la historia y hay momentos con mucha importancia que ayudan a cerrar del todo tramas del primer libro. Con esto quiero decir que para mí es necesario leerlos en orden, porque este libro os va a spoilear Letters to the lost. Y de verdad, en el anterior libro cogí un cariño inmeso a Rev, y quería saber más de él, así que me alegra que a la autora también le surgiera esa necesidad de contar su historia porque ha sido MARAVILLOSA.
Bueno, More than we can tell es la historia de Rev, el mejor amigo de Declan en el primer libro, quien tiene que lidiar con sus demonios del pasado. Siendo pequeño fue adoptado por una familia maravillosa, pero algo que sucede le hace recordar todo lo que anteriormente vivió siendo niño y volver a sentir miedo. Y también es la historia de Emma. Ella es un genio informático. Tanto que ha diseñado y programado su propio juego. Todo para ella es más fácil en el mundo virtual, pero todo cambia cuando uno de los jugadores anónimos del juego empieza a acosarla hasta niveles extremos. Entre estas dos historias, Emma y Rev se conocerán un día por casualidad y a partir de ahí empezarán a entablar una amistad que hará que confíen mucho el uno en el otro y lleguen a apoyarse en con sus problemas y les resulte más sencillo lidiar entre ellos.
Algo que me ha encantado es ver como va surgiendo la relación entre Rev y Emma. Me ha parecido muy real, con sus bajos y altos, con sus momentos de confidencias y sus momentos íntimos, pero también sus momentos en solitario hacían perfecta a esta pareja. Ambos tienen que lidiar con mucho, y muchas veces llegaban a sacarme de quicio con sus actitudes,pero es que es muy complicado no actuar de cierta forma cuando te están sucediendo tantas cosas.
La autora quiere lanzar varios mensajes con esta novela, cosa que creo que cala muy hondo en el lector. Es fácil sentirte identificado con sus pensamientos, con sus situaciones y con sus acciones. Sin duda he sentido mucha empatía por los personajes y los he amado por completo. De verdad, lo que me han hecho sentir no lo sabe nadie. He llorado como hacía tiempo que no lloraba con un libro. Me ha desgarrado en algunos momentos y me ha mantenido con el corazón en un puño.
Si os gustan los libros contemporáneos, que estén muy bien escritos, que transmitan sentimientos, que tenga drama pero te haga sonreír y que te deje mensajes importantes, este y Letters to the lost son los libros que estáis buscando.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heavy sigh.

This is actually really difficult to rate and review. I’ll have to divide my review into The Good vs. The Bad.

Let’s start with what I liked.

The Good:

This really was a good book. I’m a fan of Kemmerer’s writing, she’s a great storyteller who manages to grab your attention and won’t let it go throughout the story. I loved her Elemental series and I really liked the preceeding novel to this one, Letters to the Lost. Thing is, I’m mostly reading contemporary YA for the swoony, cutesy romance and you will not get that here. This was rather dark and kind of depressing. I mean, I knew that these characters had issues but I wasn’t prepared for the overall gloomy tone of the story.

I really liked Rev and my heart broke for him because of everything he went through and the struggles he was still facing because of it. The more we learned about what his father did to him, the more that sick, twisting sensation in my stomach intensified. I think I struggled most with the fact that mentally, Rev was still kind of caught in his father’s poisonous web, that he still felt like he needed to seek his father’s approval, who was - pardon my language- a sick fuck. I wanted to take his stupid bible quotes and shove them down his motherfucking throat to choke on them. Disgusting bastard with his creepy ass emails...ugh.

What saved this book for me were the non-romantic relationships. Rev and Declan - who was such an amazing, supportive friend. Rev and Matthew - who just broke my heart with his own horrible story. How these two broken boys slowly learned to trust each other almost had me in tears at the end. And then Rev and his adoptive parents, who were just the most amazing people e v e r.

Now The Bad:

Emma.
Emma.
And Emma.

Ugh, I wish I could just rip all of her chapters out of the book. I did not care for her at all, which is probably a big part of why the romance didn’t really work for me.

Compared to Rev’s issues, hers were more relatable (duh). What I couldn’t relate to, however, was her attitude. She was such a selfish, self-absorbed, whiny little brat. She was so caught up in her woe-is-me-I’m-so-misunderstood mindset, she never even gave people the chance to show them they cared. She was mean, unfair and disrespectful, she constantly whined about not being supported while at the same time belittling and mocking the things that were important to the people closest to her. She even begrudged her best friend her own parents’ love and when her mother tried sharing her own struggles in her youth, Emma just brushed them off with “It’s not the same”. Oh screw you, Emma.

Overall I’d say this definitely had its touching and beautiful moments and some will certainly see this as a beautiful story about healing, friendship and defeating the demons of one’s past, but for me, Emma made it really difficult to enjoy the story. I enjoyed the secondary characters and sub plots more than the actual plot.

Buddy read with the lovely Jas. Sorry girl, next time we’ll pick something better.

[R.F. Gammon · Rating 2 out of 5]

EDIT: Taking this down to 2 stars because I really can't justify three xD

*cries* This started out so good, too!

I'm sick of something, and it is this:

I WANT TO SEE CHURCH PEOPLE DEPICTED IN YA WHO ARE NOT OUT TO TWIST SCRIPTURE AND HURT PEOPLE.

Rev's dad was a horrible person, it's true. Men like him exist. Many, many people out there have been hurt by the church. I'VE been hurt by the church. And yet, I've pushed through. I know many, many people who have pushed through.

I'm so frustrated by the lack of good people within the church represented in YA, or in fiction in general. At the beginning it seemed like that book might fix that. But...IT DIDN'T AND I'M HURT BY THAT.

There are good pastors out there. There are pastors and church members who:
-Stand AGAINST child abuse
-Foster and adopt children the world calls "unwanted"
-Preach the truth in love
-Don't compromise, but are not cruel
-would never, NEVER resort to TORTURE to "help" people
-Aren't out to FORCE YOU TO CHANGE but just want you to grow closer to God and will gently guide you in that direction

CAN WE PLEASE SEE SOME OF THAT????


That was my main issue with this book, and it's less a problem with the book itself than a frustration I have with fiction as a whole. However, add to that a character like Emma, who I understand was going through a tough time but was still majorly a jerk; a TON of language including basically the worst word there is written out; the glory of insta-love; and really, really disturbing cyber-bullying, I'm thinking I can't really give this higher than 2.5 stars. Which sucks, it really does.

Boo.

[Jen (jenslostinthepages) ♥Star-Crossed Book Blog♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

***4.5/5 Stars***

More Than We Can Tell was an emotional book that was the perfect mixture of heart-wrenching and oh so sweet. So I definitely wasn't surprised that I had tears in my eyes, when I was only a few chapters into this story. It was a testament to how easily these characters captured my heart. And while this can be read as a standalone, I recommend picking up Letters to the Lost too. That story first introduced us to Rev, and it was one of my favorite books from last year.

I think of the girl beside the church.
You’re afraid.
I’ve spent years learning how not to be afraid. And now, with a few short sentences, my father has sliced through all my defenses. - Rev

Confession time - I had already fallen for Rev Fletcher in Letters to the Lost. He was Declan's best friend, and we saw what an amazing man he was. He was always there for Declan, had so much compassion in his heart, and was such a good guy. Even though it was obvious that he suffered from his own personal demons. So to start off the book with his world exploding? Oh. My heart ached so badly for him. And it was all because he received a letter from his biological father. The man who raised him till he was eight, and who physically and mentally tortured Rev. All in the name of God. And from just that one letter, Rev started to spiral down into a dark abyss.

I keep worrying about my father, wondering when something is going to snap inside me. Wondering when I’m going to turn vicious and cruel, just like he did. - Rev

While Rev found himself sinking into a horrific darkness, he met someone who was suffering too. Emma Blue. Within that first interaction, they shared a tiny piece of what they were feeling. I loved that with just a few words, they felt that connection. They made each other not feel so alone in the world. And from there, each time they ran into one another or met up, they let each other in just a little bit more. It was such a beautiful progression to watch their friendship blossom. They listened, they offered advice, they confessed and they found solace in each other. But within it all, was butterflies and the possibility of a first love.

I block him.
Then I slam my laptop shut. I flip over in bed and scream into my pillow.
I scream so loud and so long that I forget what silence is like.
I scream until I run out of breath. - Emma

I was so thankful that Emma met Rev. Because it felt as though she had no one at times. She struggled in her relationships with her parents. They weren't supportive of her, weren't around, and they treated her like an inconvenience. On top of that, she seemed to be drifting away from her best friend. As if that wasn't enough, she suffered from horrific online bullying. And while I loved how outspoken and tough Emma could be at times, I did struggle with her. She had a habit of pushing others away or saying hurtful things. And the few times she did that to Rev, well it hurt me too. Even though I saw where she learned that behavior from, and I got why she did it, I still didn't like it at all. But thankfully Emma made up for it again and again.

“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For seeing me.”
Then he turns, jogs across the street, and disappears into the darkness beyond.

There were so many beautiful messages in this book, that I believe are extremely important. They ranged from bullying, to trusting the wrong people, to discovering solace in the ones you love and to also finding acceptance within yourself. And on top of the messages, there were other people that added so much heart to this story. Such as Declan, Rev's adoptive parents and Matthew! Ahhh I can't say anymore, but I'd love to read Matthew's own book someday *fingers crossed*! So I found myself closing the book extremely happy with how it all ended. It's a fabulous read, and I definitely recommend it!!

PS If you want to read my 5 Star Review of Letters to the Lost, the book the first introduces us to Rev, you can read it here.

*ARC kindly provided by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

For more of my reviews, please visit:

[˗ˏˋ lia ˎˊ˗ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“we all push sometimes, just to make sure someone is on the other side, pushing back.”

i loved this so much more than letters to the lost and i couldn’t be happier about it since that already was one of my favorite reads of last year. brigid kemmerer has a magical way with words that makes you feel like you’ve been transported into this fictional world and are one with the characters pretty much.

additionally, i suggest going into this book barely knowing anything because i feel like any information would already be too much information. this entire story was an emotional rollercoaster and i couldn’t help but root for these character to have their own happy ending. and honestly, at this point i’m so attached so here’s to hoping there’ll be another companion book eventually!

→ 4.5 stars

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book not knowing it was a companion novel to Letters to the Lost. Although I would have liked to read that first, I started reading More Than We Can Tell and I absolutely loved it.

You can read this book without reading Letters to the Lost.

There were so many things in this book that I don't often read about. I thought it was very realistic. I enjoyed every single page and the more I read the more I loved it!

Now I do need to read Letter to the Lost.

[jazmin ౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⊹ ࣪ ˖⌇𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥
╰⪼〝𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘴. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵.〞

𑣲 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥: june 23rd, 2026 ⌝
⌞ 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥: june 25th, 2026 .ᐟ.ᐟ

──── .✦
⋆ 𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒐𝒗 (𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏)
⋆ 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆: none
⋆ 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: threats/harassment, emotional and physical abuse, religious bigotry, divorce, mentions of sexual assault(in the past), violence, kidnapping
──── .✦



‎ . ݁⋆ ꫂ᭪⌇𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
╰⪼ 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨: 𝟑.𝟐𝟓/𝟓 ✰

this wasn't as good as letters to the lost, but it was still pretty good!

omg i loved rev's parents. (not biological, his bio dad can go burn in hell) anyways.. they were actually so attentive and hands on it was soso refreshing to read and both of them were so amazing 🥹

i also kind of actually liked how emma and rev met, it being so unexpected actually made it feel very real and i also loved how neither of their problems were magically solved or anything like that

also, guys, internet safety is sososososososoSO important



.☘︎ ݁˖ ⌇𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

⊱ 𝐞𝐦𝐦𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞
╰⪼ 〝𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦.〞

tbh, i wasn't a huge fan of her 😭 and that is kinda shocking to me bc i feel like i always end up liking the fmc

she felt kind of childish and immature, and there's definitely things that she could've handled better

⊱ 𝐫𝐞𝐯 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫
╰⪼ 〝𝘐'𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘐 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯. 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘶𝘱." 𝘔𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. "𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘋𝘦𝘤 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘩𝘰𝘭 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸. 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱."〞

rev 🥹

i loved him so much, and his friendship with declan was just as amazing as it was in letters to the lost

⊱ 𝐞𝐦𝐦𝐚 + 𝐫𝐞𝐯
╰⪼ 〝𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘐'𝘮 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳.〞

i honestly kind of have mixed feelings about them. i loved some of their talks and stuff, but also idk i just didn't feel connected to them if you know what i mean, i just didn't see the chemistry there like i did with declan and juliet from letters to the lost



𓂃⋆.˚ 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 .ᐟ

➺ letters to the lost (𝟒.𝟐𝟓✰)



➵ . ݁⋆ ꒰ ✉︎ ꒱ ‎. ݁⋆
𝐩𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝:
⋆ 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝟒/𝟓 ✰

ᯓ i love rev so much, i can't wait to read this 🥹



ﾒ���ﾒ૦

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review

Trigger Warning: Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Violence

4 Stars!

When I first read Letters to the Lost, I loved the characters in that book, Rev was 100000% included, in fact he was probably my favourite, and this time around we got Revs story and my heart is bursting with love for him. I knew this book was going to be slightly darker, but it had to be as we only knew bits and pieces of Revs story.

It starts off with Emma who is a gamer and trying to live up to certain expectations, it all gets a bit much for her, and then we have Rev who receives a letter from his “father”. This is where the two come together after both going for some down time and talk to each other about certain issues going on in their lives.

Characters:

Rev is hands down a character that I will NEVER stop loving. He is going through a very very difficult time, he believes that one day he will become violent like his father, and once the emails/letter starts he has a hard time coming to terms with what he actually wants to do. A new foster brother is introduced in to the mix who also has issues. I LOVED them talking to one another and growing closer, it was tough for them both, but we see a mutual respect come to light. Along with this Revs parents are the most wonderful parents I’ve ever read in a book. They are just so loving, caring and understanding it honestly made me see how much my parents do for me, and that loving parents can help define who you are as a person.

It’s really hard to talk about Emma, I liked her and I didn’t like her. I understand that she’s going through a difficult time as well, especially with her parents and her game that she’s built. What I found difficult was she seemed to push EVERYONE away, and sometimes her own needs had to come first. She praises her dad a lot because he also works with games and coding, but puts down her mum even though she tries to be there for her. That’s my negatives with Emma, but my positives with Emma are how understanding she can be. In particular with Rev, she doesn’t push him to do anything he doesn’t want, she makes things easier for him by texting each other back to back (SO CUTE I CANNOT), when he showed her his scars, she saw past them, it was just so lovely to see!

What I liked?
- REVS PARENTS DESERVE THE WORLD
- We still got to see Declan and Juliet and how their relationship was
- The back story of how Rev and his parents connected, I was just so touched.
- How Rev picked his name!
- The best moment in the book for me is when Rev has had a really REALLY bad day, and his dad picks him up and he’s trying to be there for him and Rev is pushing and pushing, yet his dad is STILL there for him
- So MUCH acceptance!
- We got to see Declan re-connect with his father!
- All of the links!

What I didn’t like?
- My only issue with this book is, that we didn’t get a definite outcome on a certain situation, and I kind of wanted to know what happened…

Overall I really really enjoyed this book, it deals with some tough topics that some people have to face in real life. I’d love to know more about these characters, and I’d recommend people to read this.

Letters to the Lost - 4.5 Stars
More than we can Tell - 4 Stars

[Bhavya (semi-offline) · Rating 5 out of 5]

#Third Read- NOVEMBER 2025
I love this book and series sm. 💗 detailed rtc

*********************

4.5 stars 🌟

First Read- September 2021
Second Read- December 2022

This was a good book, though LTTL will always be top tier, this one unfortunately doesn't hit the same. Much to my dismay, i didnt personally care much for Emma as a character and I am not really into gaming so I couldn't connect with her much, even though i sympathise with her and the author definitely had some important convos there. But Rev, Declan and Juliet have my heart ❤️ anyway this will hold a special place for me but I just love Book 1 a lot more! I want to read it again soon though i think I will appreciate the story more now.

Content/ Trigger Warnings- Cyber-Bullying & Online Harassment, Stalking, Violence, Sexism, Abuse (of all kinds, on page in detail and incidents recounted) Divorce, Distant Parents & Child Neglect, Self-harm, Jail & Getting Arrested, Miscarriage (discussed and incidents recounted), Scars, PTSD

Reviewed on 4th November 2025

DISCLAIMER-All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.

How I Rate-
1 star- Hardly liked anything/ was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/ was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/ was average / Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/ new favourite

[Roobie · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4 stars⭐️

We all have free will, Rev. If it's a test for you, it's a test for me, for Mom, and even a test for your father. You could look at all of life as a test. No one lives in a vacuum. Our actions have an impact on everyone around us. Sometimes without us even realizing it.

A test implies that you alone are being challenged. But that's impossible when you're surrounded by others whose actions affect your decisions.

If there's any test here, it's one you've created for yourself.

Apart from the issues I had with the heroine, this was beautiful and Rev was a sweetheart
BUT
Letters to the Lost will always be my favorite.

Now I kinda want Matt's story :3

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I WILL DIE FOR REV FLETCHER.
NO QUESTIONS ASKED.

I will legitimately do anything to make this poor tortured man smile.

Get your survival kits ready because you're going to need them.
(Make sure they include a ton of tissues)

You can find my full review HERE

OR

Here's a list of things you can expect:

-a lump in your throat 90% of this book from withholding SO MANY tears
-gamer girls, YES PLS
-strong male friendships are the new black
-Rev's entire backstory which basically ruined my life
-an annoying yet somewhat compelling female MC? idk, you be the judge
-a very small dash of romance
-real family issues
-A LOT MORE TEARS
- a wild ending

Now excuse me while I go take off all my makeup and let the ugly cry begin.

Blog | Twitter | Instagram

[darmera · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really good. Managed to get deeper than your usual ya contemporary trying to discuss issues. Highly recommend.

[Susan's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOODIES: a fashion statement - or, in this case, something to cover your scars?

Kemmerer is now officially one of my favourite authors. She writes with enormous emotional sensitivity - something that I prefer in anything I read. It was nice to see Declan and Juliet again (from Letters to the Lost - the first book in this series), but Rev is such a darned adorable character: his internal struggles and his father's attempts to mess with his mind and regain control of him kept me riveted. Emily, the girl that Rev befriends, was going through hard times as well and their budding romance was just so sweet. I finished reading this book with a huge smile on my face. I love to read young adult novels every once in a while: they provide a different type of intensity from contemporary romance and thrillers.

[Zainab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay but I liked it more than Letters To The Lost...?
I was actually dreading reading this because I loved LTTL so much and was scared that the second part might not be just as good but damnnnnn.
I just finished this book and it's (unexpectedly) hard to process what just happened. There were some parts that had me all happy and giddy but at the same time all emotional and shit. I mean I know I loved Juliet and Declan but Rev and Emma? Wow, just wow.

[Karima chermiti · Rating 3 out of 5]

1)Letters to the Lost: 3 stars

Full review posted

We all push sometimes, just to make sure someone is on the other side, pushing back

It’s rare that I feel the same feelings about two books in the same series, Usually I love one more that the other or I’m impressed by one slightly more but with this duology, I feel the about the second book the same way I felt about the first one. Which means that I like the way this book explores a lot of important issues but at the same time I’m not that moved by some of the characters and the plot needs a lot of working. Actually saying that this book has a plot is a stretch in itself so that’s something that keeps frustrating me, how the author makes you think the story is going to be explosive at the end and then it turns out so anti-climactic and predictable, predictable for Emma story-line and anti-climactic for Rev’s.

The story revolves around Rev, a character that we first see in the first book, Letters to the Lost and Emma, a new character that we meet in this book for the first time. And like the first book, the two of them are going through a lot and they’re struggling with some heavy problems and they came together in an expected way and enters this sort of reluctant and sometimes unconvincing relationship.

I can’t deny that the book deals with a lot of issues that needs more coverage in the media, in movies and in books so that’s absolutely appreciated. I admire how this book explores the way women are treated in the gaming industry and how they’re being treated in a sexist and violent way because of the toxic mentality that women don’t belong to that world. We also get to see the effects cyber-bullying and stalking has on Emma as a female character that’s passionate about that world and how it makes her feel like she can’t tell anyone because the behavior is nothing new in that community.

Tonight, my twisted emotions are in the way. I keep worrying about my father, wondering when something is going to snap inside me. Wondering when I’m going to turn vicious and cruel, just like he did.

Through Rev chapters, we get to delve deep into his life and see from his perspective how it feels to be an adopted boy who suffered a lot before being saved and how that toxic and abusive relationship he had with his father is still controlling his life. I loved rev in the first book and I love him even more now. His struggles and his fears are explored in an honest way and it makes you root for him and wants him to get it all figure it out. I think I expected more from his meeting with his father because the whole story was leading up to that moment but it felt so rushed because of another situation.

When it comes to Emma, It was so hard for me to like her and even thought I tried so hard, I couldn’t. I think there’s a problem with the way this author writes her female characters, the main ones at least. I know it’s hard to hate them because of the things they’re going through but when you really see them as individuals, they are completely unlikable. They are judgmental, nasty, rude and totally horrible to the people around them; they always lash out and treat their friends miserably. I mean this is her response to her friend when the latter is worried about her :

“You wear a different face every day. You tell me.”

She is shaming her friends because she wears different make-up everyday. Unbelievable. She wants her friend to pay attention to gaming because friends needs to support each other but when Cait asks her to come to her home this is what Emma thinks :

I really don’t want to talk about eyeliner or cosplay or foundation right now.

Emma spends all the book feeling bad for how her mom belittle her dreams about being a game designer and then Emma herself does the same to her friend because her friend likes makeup and has a beauty channel. Emma takes every chance she gets to make her friend feels like shit because she likes to do makeup and she’s good at it and she does treat her in a nasty way. Every time her friend tries to help her, she snaps at her and she says horrible and hurtful things to her and maybe people won’t notice it because she’s being subtle about it but My God, she’s a nasty character. Even rev is treated badly by her on multiple occasions, I mean people are trying to help her and she can’t be anything but mean. And yes she kind of sees the error of her ways, but saying sorry won’t cut it for me. I don’t know why this people put up with her shit, she is the definition of a hypocrite.

And that’s why I couldn’t get behind the romance between her and Rev. He deserves someone who won’t snap at him every time things go rough but I guess authors thinks that every book needs a romance so here we are. The romance does nothing for the plot, nothing and it isn’t necessary at all.

I also didn’t like how that issue with Mathew was solved, I think it deserved more space to be explored in a way that translates the importance of the subject. Mathew reveals that he’s been sexually assaulted not only by his foster brother but also by his foster father and he also confesses that he is being bullied by some people using the abuse he endured to mock him and make his life a living hell and the story doesn’t give the issue a lot of space in the story and just moves on to concentrate on other things. I wish the author took time to send a powerful message and to give some perspective about what happened to Mathew. I know that the author goes back to it at the end of the book but it feels like just an afterthought, not something important that need to be resolved in a clear and serious manner.

No one lives in a vacuum. Our actions have an impact on everyone around us. Sometimes without us even realizing it

All in all, this book was not better that the first one and now that I wrote the review, I kind of think that the first one handled a lot of things better. I don’t know if I want to recommend this series or not. I think if you can manage to turn a blind eye to the two unlikable female characters, then you could love the books to some extent.

Trigger warning : cyber-bullying, stalking, violence, sexism, abuse, divorce, distant parents

************************************

This is Rev book, So I'm equally scared and excited. Please don't disappoint me.